The Count of Monte Cristo (1998 miniseries)

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The Count of Monte Cristo
Montecristo.png
Based on The Count of Monte Cristo
by Alexandre Dumas
Written by Didier Decoin
Directed by Josée Dayan
Starring Gérard Depardieu
Music by Bruno Coulais
Country of originFrance
Italy
Original languageFrench
No. of series1
No. of episodes4
Production
ProducerJean-Pierre Guérin
Cinematography Vittorio Storaro
Running time100 minutes (per episode)
Original release
Release7 September (1998-09-07) –
28 September 1998 (1998-09-28)

The Count of Monte Cristo (a.k.a. Le Comte de Monte Cristo) is a French-Italian four-part miniseries based on the 1844 novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.

Contents

The series had approximately 12 million viewers for each episode during its initial premier in September 1998. [1] The series premiered on Bravo on 21 June 1999 in the United States. [2]

Plot

Edmond Dantès is falsely accused of Bonapartism and sentenced to spend the rest of his life imprisoned in the dreaded Château d'If, an island fortress from which no prisoner has ever escaped, and to which the most dangerous political prisoners are sent. While imprisoned, he meets the Abbé Faria, a fellow prisoner whom everyone believes to be mad. The Abbé tells Edmond of a fantastic treasure hidden away on a tiny island, that only he knows the location of. After many years in prison, the old Abbé dies. Edmond escapes and creates a new identity for himself as he swears to exact a cruel vengeance on the three men responsible for his suffering.

Cast

Critical reception

The New York Times positively reviewed the series, praising its visuals and "straightforward, old-fashioned spirit." [3]

The Los Angeles Times praised Gérard Depardieu performance as the Count as well as the series's visuals, but criticized the series for some of the changes that were made from the book. They also criticized the last four hours of the series as being too "meandering and convoluted." [2]

References

  1. ↑ Bernstein, Adam (19 June 1999). "Eight Hours of Retribution". The Washington Post. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  2. 1 2 Rosenberg, Howard (21 June 1999). "A Faithful 'Monte Cristo'? Don't Count on It". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  3. ↑ James, Caryn (21 June 1999). "TELEVISION REVIEW; Depardieu Revels Lustily in Revenge and Derring-Do as the Count of Monte Cristo". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
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